Chapter Twenty-One

Travis

It took us another month to move to Heartville. Some of it was we were both slow at packing. Some of it was we were reluctant to leave our matingmoon nest. By the time we arrived, Sheldon sported a beautiful baby bump and by Dara’s estimations was halfway through his pregnancy.

The house was deadly quiet when the doors and windows were shut. Sheldon still heard tiny noises from all over the village, but his hearing surpassing magic wasn’t anything new to him. Cardian had worked with Liam and the others not only to cast spells, but to furnish the place. The furniture was too antique-looking to come from anyone in the Hemlock Wolf Pack.

“They brought my stuff!” Sheldon cheered, pumping one fist into the air, with the other hand resting on the zenith of his pregnant belly. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“No,” I shook my head and meant it, “Trista chose most of the furniture at the flat and everywhere else. It was always more her thing than mine. This stuff looks like it came right out of history books, though.”

“Some of them did. Some of them are replicas. They’re all safe for kids. Believe it or not,” he pointed to his ears, “I did occasionally baby sit for my siblings and some of the coven members. Children making noise aren’t as annoying as adults making noise. Kids are learning. Adults are jackasses.”

“I didn’t think the furniture would eat our kid. Wait? Why wouldn’t they be safe for kids?” I asked.

My wolf cocked his head to the side awaiting the answer. Wolf pups got into enough trouble by themselves without the furniture attacking.

“No hidden weapons that can pop out with a thought or the press of a button. A lot of the older stuff came equipped with them in case you found yourself in a pinch” Sheldon said as if that was something everyone should know as he made his way to the kitchen. “They brought my blender too. I love this thing.”

“It’s huge!” I laughed.

“Yeah. Maybe. Do you think?” he asked. “You just dump three pouches of the bloodshake mix in and all the other stuff. Then you can make breakfast all at once.”

“Three bloodshakes for breakfast?” I teased.

“Well, only if you use cups and don’t drink straight from the blender. If you do it that way, it’s only one bloodshake for breakfast,” he smirked.

“That’s not something I ever imagined you doing.”

“Well, believe it or not, I did when I lived alone and often in the buff too,” Sheldon smirked.

“That’s sorta hot, I’m not going to lie.”

“Good. You’ll probably be seeing it a lot until the baby comes.”

“That makes me almost as happy as knowing it’s almost time to see the baby again,” I said, walking across the room to meet him.

“Hey!” He turned around and pointed at the fridge.

“What?” I twisted to look.

Someone, probably Duke, because he was the sort to think ahead about stuff like that, had gotten extra copies of our baby’s first sonogram and hung them on the fridge. Sheldon teared up and I pulled him in for as tight of a hug as his pregnant belly would allow.

“Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?” Sheldon said, sniffling as he looked up at me.

“If I say a boy, don’t call me a cave-alpha, okay?”

“Umm…. Why would that make you a cave-alpha? You’re close to your twin. You’re not a sexist and besides, even if our baby is a boy he could grow to be an omega.”

“Would not wanting an omega kid be sexist, though or some other ‘ist’?”

“I’m not sure. It’s all the same shit. Same bigotry, different day,” Sheldon shrugged. “As far as I’ve seen you’re not any of those things, but I’m all ears.”

“Because dresses are expensive and I don’t want another girl trying to make me help her with her makeup,” I laughed.

“She really did that?” Sheldon smirked.

“She didn’t just try. She succeeded,” I nodded.

“That would be adorable, though.”

“I’m just joking. I love our pup already. I just want them to be healthy and happy and maybe a tad less dramatic than my twin’s been.”

“Me too,” Sheldon nodded. “Me too on all of it.”

Someone knocked on the door and we startled apart.

“We’re allowed to kiss. It’s like we forget that or something,” Sheldon laughed. “Is Dara early?”

“Not by his schedule. He’s been trying to hurry up our move since he met you,” I teased him. “I think the dude just really likes to deliver babies or maybe it’s the house calls he likes. Who knows?”

“Dara?” Sheldon called out, louder than I thought was possible for him and his pointed ears.

“It’s me!” The draconic healer called back.

“I’ll get the door. Stop yelling like you were born on Mage Street,” I teased him.

“You never let me have any fun,” he stuck his tongue out at me and followed me into the living room.

Sheldon made himself cozy on the sofa while I let Dara and his portable machine in. Dara smiled patiently the same way he had back in London when we sent him on multiple elevator rides before letting him in.

“Hope you don’t mind that I’m a little early,” Dara grinned.

“Not at all. We’re excited to see the baby,” Sheldon called from the sofa.

“Come on in,” I laughed and shook my head.

“So, has pregnancy dampened your hearing?” Dara asked what I would’ve never dared to as he set up his portable machine.

“No, but it’s my own voice. So, it’s not as bad. It has to go out into the world before it bounces back to my ears,” Sheldon laughed.

“You’re in high spirits,” Dara nodded. “Anything I should know about?”

“About my high spirits?” Sheldon asked as I took up my position at the arm of the sofa to cover his ears when the machine came on. “I know what you meant,” he said before Dara could answer. “Everything feels normal. Well, as normal as it can under the situation.” Sheldon ran his hand over the zenith of his now bare belly for emphasis. “My back hurts. I’m ravenous and not just for food or just for blood.”

“Increased sex drive is totally common in a lot of pregnancies,” Dara nodded without skipping a beat.

I stared down at the textured fabric of the sofa, ready for them to change the subject. I wasn’t a prude, but since quitting social media my mentality on privacy had boomeranged around to wanting a lot more of it in my life.

“Ready to see if the baby has their legs crossed or not?” Dara asked.

“Yes!” I answered, the word coming out almost a yip from my wolf.

The furry guy’s tail wagged inside his inner sanctum and I slipped my hands over Sheldon’s pointed ears. He let out a long, slow breath as Dara arranged the gel and turned on his whoosh-whoosh maker. Sheldon stiffened as the sound swam laps around the room. His eyes darted between me, the doctor, and the monitor as Dara picked up the wand.

“It won’t take long,” I whispered to him over our mating link.

“Toes,” Sheldon mouthed as our baby’s tiny feet came into view on the monitor.

“And feet and legs,” Dara grinned. “Uncrossed legs.”

“You might’ve gotten your wish about our kid not wanting you to do their makeup, but I’ve known a lot of guys who wear makeup too. So maybe not,” Sheldon teased me.

“Fine. If our son needs my help doing his makeup, I’ll help him,” I said and let out a mock groan.

“No makeup on babies,” Dara said, his face straight enough that it took me a second to realize he was making a joke.

Sheldon laughed and I leaned down to kiss his forehead as Dara checked the baby’s heart rate and took measurements. The room fell deathly quiet when the machine stopped whooshing. Sheldon let out a long breath and for a second, his eyes drifted shut. Sliding my hands back I massaged his temples until his face relaxed and he opened his eyes again.

“Thanks,” he whispered and leaned up to steal a kiss.

“Everything looks perfect. I suspect in another two-ish weeks we’ll see Baby. That’s a little early by our original timeline, but I’ve learned vampyric genetics can affect gestation times.”

“Elven can too,” Sheldon yawned and tapped the points of his ears. “Though, sometimes that goes in the opposite direction and makes them longer.”

“Are you sure? Two weeks?” I said as my wolf’s muscles coiled tense.

“Is that a problem?” Sheldon glanced up at me while reaching for the wipes to clean up the gel from his belly.

“That’s really soon,” I said, sitting down on the arm of the sofa.

“Is that going to be a problem with your job?” Dara asked, as he wiped down his wand with a draconic-sized alcohol pad. “I can give them a call to confirm that you are indeed expecting a baby and that you should be granted the parental leave outlined by Moonscale Regulations that covers both Wales and London. I’m still licensed to work across the pond. I think Clarence hopes I’m coming back one day.”

“No, they won’t be a problem,” I shook my head. “I had actually forgotten about them.”

“That’s normal and good,” Dara said. “You shouldn’t have to worry about a job while you’re getting ready for your baby and certainly not while the baby is still a newborn. I’ll fax them the request over just in case.”

“Then what is that look about?” Sheldon asked as Dara shut his machine and clicked the latches into place.

“I’ll send over the sonograms this evening,” Dara said. “I believe whatever follows in this conversation would be more the realm of your parents or perhaps the village therapist. If it’s baby supplies you’re worried about, don’t. Nurse Charlene has gotten together with Liam and set up a basket program for pregnant and new parents. I’m sure they’ll be bringing that around soon.”

“Thanks, Dara,” Sheldon stood and shook his hand.

I let my mate see the doctor out and I flopped onto the sofa. My wolf zoomied a few circles around his inner sanctum before Sheldon made it back to the sofa.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Two weeks isn’t that long,” I said.

“Okay, fair enough,” Sheldon nodded, “but you do know there isn’t anything we can do about that, right? Was there something you were hoping to do before the baby was born? I think we have everything we need. Have you seen the nursery here? Or is this about Trista?”

“Why would it be about Trista?” I arched a brow.

“Because you’re about to have your first child and you’re only sorta on speaking terms with her.”

“That’s the best we can do right now,” I sat up and pulled him close to me.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Are you nervous now?”

“Sorta,” I admitted.

“About which part?” Sheldon asked.

“Which part are you nervous about?”

“Watermelon sized person crawling out of me part,” Sheldon laughed.

I leaned in and pressed my forehead against his. He did smell a little nervous.

“That is definitely part of it,” I nodded. “Then we’re in charge of this little person and whatever happens to him.”

“I think it’ll be easier while he’s a little person. Wait until he’s a teenage person to worry,” Sheldon teased. “We got this. I’m not asking Mom to send anyone else to help, because all of my siblings who are old enough have their mates already. With how this is going they’d find a second one if they came to help us.”

“I don’t think that’s how true-mates work.”

“You don’t know that. Some people have two apparently from the whispers around the village,” Sheldon said.

“Oh, yeah. Marcus and them,” I nodded, vaguely remembering Trista mentioning something about it a long time ago.

“Do you want a second one?” Sheldon teased me.

“You are all I want,” I said, sliding him onto my lap.

“I’m going to squash you before this baby comes,” Sheldon laughed.

“I’ll die a happy wolf then.”

“Speaking of wolves, just because I can’t run around the woods with you right now, because my back hurts, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t let him out every now and then. I can feel him running in zoomies inside your head.”

“I don’t think he lives inside my head.”

“Well, where does he live then?” Sheldon asked.

“Ummm…. Inside me, but not in my head.”

“How do you know?” Sheldon smirked.

“I don’t think my head is big enough to hold a wolf.”

“Is any part of you?” Sheldon arched a brow.

“I’ll let you be the judge of that,” I said, sliding my hands to his ass.

“Hey! No knotting me while I’m pregnant. You missed your chance for that, mister!”

“You do know, that’s not actually within my control.”

“Missed your chance,” he teased.

“And that it’s not that likely to happen while you’re pregnant, because usually it’s a reaction to ensure pregnancy.”

“Then why did I used to spend so much time watching alphas knot each other online?” I asked.

“Because you ---” I flushed red before I could answer.

“Did that get you flustered?” Sheldon asked, lowering his voice.

“Not the content as much as the thought of you laid back leg spread, toy inside of you, while you jacked off to porn,” I said.

“Someone knows me well,” Sheldon said, as our lips found each other.

We kissed softly and my hands slid up to massage circles over his lower back. His libido was up, but over the last week or so whenever we went to start something his back pain prevented it. He tensed as my fingers kneaded into his skin.

“Maybe just some of that jacking off you were talking about,” he laughed.

“You sure you’re up for it?” I asked, smelling his pain over our mating link.

“No, but I’m hard and slick and ---” he stopped to let out a long, slow breath.

“Is your back getting worse?” I arched a brow and my wolf stood up sniffing the air.

“Yeah, but I think it’s normal. I’m full of baby and this position isn’t exactly ergonomic.”

I lifted him back onto the sofa and almost shouted for the doctor over our mating link. Dara had just been here. If Sheldon was in early labor, he’d know right? He’d have said something? Was he wrong?

“I’m fine,” Sheldon laughed. “It’s just some back pain.”

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, ignoring how hard my dick was from having him on my lap. My wolf paced inside his inner sanctum, and I decided to text my sire instead of calling Dara back out since he just left. I told him everything, minus what started the make out session. Some things I could live my whole life without my parents knowing about me. The dots of someone typing appeared on the screen and then disappeared. A second later someone knocked on the door.

“If that’s your dad, he ran faster than anyone I’ve ever met through the Other World,” Sheldon said, his nose scrunching up in another painful twinge.

“I’ll get that,” I said, but was already halfway to the door.

By the smell of it, Dara was on the other side and not my parents. I opened the door, and he walked past me, empty handed this time.

“Where does it hurt?” Dara asked Sheldon.

“My lower back and sorta my legs,” Sheldon said, his expression as bemused as I felt.

“Let’s get you to the clinic and we’ll take a better look at everything,” Dara said.

“Is everything okay?” I asked Dara, stepping between him and Sheldon as a growl trembled low in my wolf’s throat.

“Everything okay?” Duke asked from the front door I hadn’t bothered to shut.

“That’s what I was asking the doctor,” I said, not taking my eyes off the dragon.

“My back hurts,” Sheldon said.

“Are we going to the clinic?” Duke asked as if he had some part in making our baby.

“We are,” Dara nodded. “At least, I think we should.”

My phone vibrated in my pocket. A quick text saying they were on their way.

“Dara, what aren’t you telling me?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice level.

“I can’t tell you what I don’t know and to know what I don’t know we need to go to the clinic,” Dara said.

“Should I get Scott?” Duke asked.

“No, we got this,” Sheldon said, pushing himself up onto his feet.

“Can you walk there?” Dara asked, but I’d already scooped Sheldon up.